Why didn’t the Shaheed al-Mihrab coalition do better in the recent elections?
Abdul-Mahdi: You are right. The SIIC should have achieved a more advanced position and we are studying the causes of the results. We ranked second and this is not a bad result. In central and southern areas, we competed with other lists and there are factors related to electoral regulations, as well as others related to voters. Voters chose their representatives and SIIC did its part, but did it perform its obligations in the right way? If not, voters can vote for others. And this is what they did and we should learn the lessons. State facilities were used during elections. Was this factor the reason why other entities were able to obtain more votes? All these factors should be examined and we will well study them. On the other hand, we are very happy with the elections; with the success made, we have moved one further step forward. But there are gaps in the work of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) and in the state apparatus and the way the state dealt with elections. I
